oily warmed previously frozen milk

Ok I don't know what happens to milk when it gets thawed but I am using breastmilk from a freezerstash now and when I thaw it in the frige overnight the fat rises and it all looks somewhat normal like freshly refrigerated prerozen milk does. But when I heat it in warm water the milk separates and becomes a gross yellow and oily in appearance. Am I making it spoil? I really hope not. It sure looks nasty and it keeps separating. Should I use cooler water?
I never had this problem with heating milk that was only refrigerated.

Re: oily warmed previously frozen milk

Eeewe, its donated... I am replacing supplemental formmula with another mommy's milk who's baby is 3 weeks younger than mine. I asked all the questions and we talked in length about eating and drinking habits and potential harmful things. Its not even a month old, this milk. I'm excited but just realized I don't know what I'm doing with this milk...preparation wise.

Re: oily warmed previously frozen milk

Things are going much better up in my head as far as having donated breastmilk to supplement. I am happier and more satisfied. My son is still fighting the sns and biting has become the new hurdle. My nipples are bruised from biting. He hasn't put on weight either. It ducks he has been hovering between 17&1/2 and 18 lbs since last month. It goes up then down.

I am trying to just get him to take supplements in the evening but will have to start sooner since he continues to refuse and misses out on eating once it gets too late.

So should this milk become oily or am I spoiling it by hearing it too much?

Re: oily warmed previously frozen milk

The reason tasting it might be in order is because of possible excess lipase. Lipase is an enzyme that breaks down the fats in breast milk. It won't affect fresh milk because it takes time for lipase to work. But sitting in the freezer for a month or more... You get the picture.

I don't know that lipase would cause milk to look oily, though. It may be that heating the milk in warm water rather than in the fridge simply de-emulsifies it... I'm thinking about this olive oil and vinegar salad dressing I buy. If you leave it on the counter for a while, the oil floats to the top of the bottle. But leave it in the fridge for a while, and the dressing stays mixed.

Basically, if proper storage guidelines have been followed and the milk tastes okay... Then it is okay, even if it looks a little odd. Just swirl the bottle gently to recombine the separate elements.

I totally get not wanting to taste it! I wouldn't want to, either. But if it's good enough for your baby, it can't be too scary, right?

Re: oily warmed previously frozen milk

I hear you, it did look like oil on milk, so gross I felt bad feeding it to my son...couldn't have tasted much better than melted fat. Yuck. It kept separating. Since that feeding I haven't had that happen, I have only warmed it to room temperature.

Is it strange if it smells different than mine? I feel like my son knows something is up, he knows its not formula or goatsmilk, though it appears he also knows it isn't my breastmilk.

I was reading other threads on here and I found out you shouldn't shake breastmilk...so no more shaking for me. I haven't done that much but with the unusual amount of fat in this milk, I did shake 2 bags of it yesterday.

Re: oily warmed previously frozen milk

Just stick your finger in it and taste it! But ALSO know that just like YOU wouldn't drink bad nasty milk your child can also be trusted to make that call. So if HE DRINKS IT, it's FINE. No matter how it looks to you.